How a Coralus Venture is Embracing Discomfort and Rediscovering Courage ??

At our recent Coralus Quarterly Community Updates event, Toni Desrosiers, founder of Abeego?and inventor of the?original beeswax food storage wrap, reflected on the challenges she faced during the pandemic and the pivotal decision to shift her business—and her life—onto a new path.

Toni, a trailblazer in the sustainable food storage industry, recounted with unflinching honesty how COVID-19 was a turning point for her and her business. After 17 years of building Abeego, the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic left her at a crossroads, grappling with whether to continue or close the chapter on Abeego.

On July 23, after much soul-searching, she announced that Abeego was closing. The reaction was overwhelming: “It hit my community like a tsunami,” she recalled. But what happened next surprised even her—a flood of 700 orders poured in overnight. This response, coupled with a deep internal shift, led Toni to reconsider what Abeego could be.

To navigate this challenging period, Toni turned to cold-water dipping—a practice that helped her rebuild her resilience. “Every time I stepped in the water, my brain said, ‘Don’t do this; it’s going to kill you,’” she shared. But she persevered, proving to herself that she was stronger than she thought. This physical practice became a metaphor for embracing discomfort and rediscovering her courage.

Toni also credited guidance from Coralus Development Guide MJ Ryan for helping her reframe pivotal decisions in her life. By reflecting on past choices, she realized that each big decision was driven by the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. “I got to the point where I was very miserable with Abeego,” Toni admitted, “and that’s when I knew it was time to do something different.”

Today, Abeego is still open—but with a renewed focus. Toni has pivoted away from traditional retail and is now connecting directly with customers. This shift allows her to prioritize herself and her vision, which is rooted in challenging misconceptions about food waste and redefining how we think about fresh food. “After 17 years of studying food, I know the waste problem isn’t what we think it is. It’s the result of airtight plastic and broken systems,” she said passionately.

Looking ahead, Toni sees Abeego not just as a business but as a platform for sharing her unique insights. For those eager to support Toni and her mission, Abeego products are currently available at a discount as she continues this transformative journey.

As Toni’s journey continues to unfold, her story invites all of us in the Coralus community to imagine what could be possible when we embrace reinvention and lean into the unknown.

This week we’re introducing a new section of our newsletter - “Hope Spots” - illuminating the groundswell of people working towards a more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate future. ??

• Practices for Transitions in a Time Between Worlds, from the Stanford Social Innovation Review. “There is no manual for living through our wildly unpredictable times. How do we imagine, prepare for, and shape an unknown future? Who do we need to be or become?“ - Thank you to everyone who collaborated to make this piece possible. ?
• “New Zealand’s Parliament was temporarily suspended as Māori lawmakers, [led by Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke], performed a haka to demonstrate their community’s response to a bill that aims to reinterpret the country’s founding treaty with its Indigenous people.” ?
• Taylor Swift is “quietly” planting seeds of resilience and emboldenment in the hearts of 6 million fans worldwide at her Eras Tour and with 300+ million followers online. By leading on her own terms, showing us the power of our voices and our kind actions (friendship bracelets are a new currency!), an entire generation (of generations) is being prepared with the codes, the deep knowing and the community to withstand, live and thrive in what’s to come.?

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